


Pompeii

by sophe



Series: All This Bad Blood [1]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-20
Updated: 2014-10-20
Packaged: 2018-02-21 23:53:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2486882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sophe/pseuds/sophe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Duncan stared at the security feed.  He watched as a young man and woman destroyed a group of thugs who seemed intent on ending the pair's lives prematurely.  They had been riding the train that ran under the sea from Ostwick to Ferelden, minding their own business when the thugs made the mistake of believing they would be easy targets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pompeii

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure where this is going so I am cheaping out on the tags. I will add tags as needed and change the rating and warnings (if any) as the story evolves.
> 
> Essentially, this is a modern setting. Instead of magic, there is a hybrid of science and magic and instead of healers there are doctor/mage hybrids. There are planes, trains, and automobiles. And there are also dragons, darkspawn, and demons. But most importantly, there are Wardens. Lots of Wardens. 
> 
> I really am not sure where this is going, so it might make a u-turn and drastically change or just sit as a one-off and go absolutely no where. I just know that this idea danced around my mind until I sat down to write it and found myself looking at 9000 words and needing to post it.

Duncan stared at the security feed. He watched as a young man and woman destroyed a group of thugs who seemed intent on ending the pair's lives prematurely. They had been riding the train that ran under the sea from Ostwick to Ferelden, minding their own business when the thugs made the mistake of believing they would be easy targets.

He looked over at the computer screen and couldn't help but smile when he saw their names. Cousland. The Cousland siblings had been in the Free Marches, visiting the youngest Vael and were returning home. Aedan had graduated from University and Elissa was taking her gap year. Duncan knew their father. Bryce had three children, two sons and a daughter, and all three were encouraged to supplement their academic educations with military study. Unsurprisingly it also included martial skills. The younger Couslands didn't scrimp on their training.

The thugs didn't get one hit on the two and the two worked remarkably well together. Duncan couldn't see their mouths move, but their movements were too well choreographed for them not to communicate. As the oldest, Fergus was off limits, but Elissa and Aeden were fair game. Bryce would be angry, but he'd get over it. Eventually. Elanor would never forgive him though.

Duncan picked up the phone on his desk. "Pay their bail, pick them up, and bring them here."

The film didn't show their arrest, the thugs didn't actually lay a hand on them so self-defense was a little more difficult to prove. Additionally there was a little love between Aramanthine and Highever. On the surface they kept their interactions friendly, but dig a little deeper and resentments burned at a low simmer. The guards at the Port of Aramanthine had no problem inconveniencing the children of the Teyrn of Highever.

Duncan folded his arms behind his head and leaned back in his chair. He couldn't help but smile. Bryce would still have his heir and the Wardens would have two very remarkable recruits. Assuming they agreed to the terms.

*******

Aedan pushed his elbow into Elissa's ribs until she looked over at him. "I told you."

Elissa returned her gaze to the front of the SUV and nodded here head towards the two silent men sitting in front. "Dad didn't send them."

Aedan grinned at her. "I know." He leaned into the space between the two front seats. "So, thanks for getting us out of there and all that. You can just drop us off at the airport."

The two men in the front seat continued their silent stare out the windshield.

Aedan leaned back in the seat and looked at Elissa. "We aren't headed to the airport, I don't think."

"No shit." Elissa sighed and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I was supposed to be home for my birthday."

Aedan sighed. "You will be, 'Lis." He closed his eyes, there was no real point in fighting this. Someone in their father's office must have heard the news and decided to run interference. Plus, it wasn't like the men were locking them in the car.

Elissa poked at his knee until he opened one eye and looked at her, cocking an eyebrow at her. She pointed her thumb at the road sign they just passed. _Soldier's Peak 65 mi_. Aedan turned his head to the side and considered the implications. One didn't just plan a daytrip to Soldier's Peak. He reached up to the headrest in front of him and ran his fingers over the embossed leather. It wasn't obvious, but once he actually took the time to look he started seeing discreet images of griffons.

Elissa just smirked and leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. "We have about an hour. Might as well take a nap."

Aedan just rolled his eyes. His sister could fall asleep anywhere at any time. He couldn't. His mind was running wild with questions. What were the Wardens doing bailing them out of jail? Why were the Wardens even interested in them? He knew that his parents were familiar, more familiar with the Wardens than most people of Ferelden would like, but he didn't think that relationship was worth calling in a favor to get the Cousland kids out a bit of a sticky spot in Aramanthine.

He leaned his forehead against the cool glass of the window and stared at the scenery going by. He didn't think he was going to find any answers in the SUV and decided to take a page from Elissa. He leaned back and closed his eyes. A nap wasn't such a bad idea.

*******

Duncan was on a conference call with Blackwall and Stroud, working out the teams for the planned ops and comparing notes on the information gathered from assets. It was a weekly meeting and usually didn't have much in the way of new information. It was more of a way to know what both hands were doing without stepping on anyone's toes. For the most part it worked.

Duncan's phone beeped and he picked it up to check the text. One of the agents in the car with the Couslands had sent him a message. _They're asleep_ He actually laughed. 

Stroud cleared his throat. "Duncan?"

"Sorry. I have some agents picking up some potential recruits and apparently they are napping in the backseat."

Blackwall's chortle could be heard through the speaker. "Two? And this early in the year?"

Duncan grinned at the disembodied voice. "Trust me, they are well worth it." He leaned forward on the table, speaking clearly into the phone. "In fact, if either of them don't make it, I'll give the rest of my recruit allotment to you two to share."

Each year, the First Warden negotiated with the head of states for the number of recruits the Wardens could take. It was an act of appeasement, but it allowed the Wardens to move freely through most of Thedas. Orlais had been given an allotment of 15, the Free Marches had 8, and Fereldan had 12. If either of the two failed at any point during the recruitment process then Blackwall and Stroud would have 10 additional recruits to split between themselves.

"Does that include refusal?" Stroud wasn't about ready to pass up an opportunity to get more recruits.

"Of course." Duncan leaned back in his chair. "but they won't."

The weekly meetings were usually boring and Blackwall couldn't resist the minorly exciting change of topic . "Why are you so sure?"

"Because, they're from Highever." Duncan stood up. "Gentlemen, if we're through, I need to go meet my newest recruits." He didn't wait for their answers. He ended the call and headed out of his office. He didn't think he had ever heard of any recruit being so relaxed that they were able to sleep on the way to a keep. The Wardens purposely kept recruits in the dark until they got inside the gates in order to keep their stress levels high. Sleep was usually the very last thing on the list. It was going to be a very interesting introduction.

*******

Elissa woke up first, or at least she opened her eyes first. Everyone knew the general location of Soldier's Peak, but there was no specific exit sign or any other landmark to let drivers know where to find the actual compound was located. She kept her head pressed back against the seat and looked out the window. 

Aedan held his phone out in front of her. She should have known that Aedan wasn't asleep either. There was a text from Vael staring at her. _Is 'Lis mad? Not answering calls._ He raised his eyebrow. "Well?"

She just shrugged. "He wants something more public."

"Mom will be annoyed. You know that she and Lady Vael worked very hard to make sure the two of you accidently ran into each other all over Thedas." Aedan smirked at his little sister.

"You should be happy, Ade, you won't have to call me princess or your majesty." She returned to looking out the window.

"At least they have good food."

"And a huge Chantry presence." She pulled her phone out and looked down at the messages. She really should have responded to the texts. _Detained. Will call u as soon as I can_. She showed her brother the text. "Happy?"

"I didn't care either way, 'Lis." He nodded his head out the window as the SUV turned off onto what looked like a rural highway. "After your birthday, let's head to Cumberland."

She looked at him and then out his window before giving him a laugh combined with a snort. "There isn't an eligible bachelor in Nevarra, Ade. Mom won't know what to do."

He winked at her, glad that she picked up on his facade of relaxation. "She'll let Lady Vael know, and once his mom drops the information, he'll find a reason to somehow be there."

"What about Antiva City? You can take me to the Boulevard of the Seas for a birthday dinner."

*******

Duncan leaned against the doorway and watched the smith manipulate and fold the metal into the shape of the desired weapon. The Wardens used both modern and traditional weapons and employed artisans to craft the traditional weapons. Try as he might, he couldn't hide his smile. Of course the Couslands had figured out that someone was listening to their conversation and so they talked about the least revealing things. The youngest Vael and Elissa had been talked about of course, it was a politically powerful if somewhat controversial match, even if both of them were spares of spares, but it wasn't a secret.

His grin grew even bigger as he heard the SUV approaching. They named two regions with minimal Warden presence and two cities that actively resisted any kind of permanent Warden strongholds that other regions reluctantly accepted. The Couslands were already proving to be very interesting.

The two Couslands slid from the SUV as soon as it came to a complete stop and side by side, approached Duncan. He expected Aedan to be the one to speak up, but it was Elissa who spoke first.

"Duncan."

Aedan just nodded his head.

The Warden Commander crossed his arms over his chest and smiled at them. "You made it remarkably easy for the Amarathine police to arrest you."

Elissa shrugged. "Not our fault that the thugs weren't as big and strong as they thought they were." She took a few steps up to him and refused to look away from his gaze. "But you didn't bail us out as a favor to dad, so let's ignore all the small talk and just tell us why you helped us."

Aedan took a protective step closer to his sister.

"Aedan is planning on going to law school in Orlais, and you, Elissa, are going to school for linguistics."

The siblings just stared at him. He wasn't revealing any big secret, the family's PR man was very good at his job. Focusing on their academics and diverting the fifth estate away from their more entertaining exploits.

"I could use your skills." Duncan turned and started walking towards the large manor set back by the woods. "All of them."

Aedan looked at Elissa and grinned. "You heard the man, all of them." He followed after Duncan. Before Elissa was left too far behind she rolled her eyes and trotted after them. "And what skill sets might those be?"

Duncan ignored her question and silently walked through the large front doors. Aedan didn't want law school, that was his family's push. He didn't even want to go to University. Elissa was something else entirely though. She loved academia. She loved learning and she loved books. She always loved her brother and Duncan was hoping to use that to his advantage. Duncan led them to a large library and held his arm out, inviting them inside.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I need to make a few phone calls." Duncan smirked as Elissa drifted into the library, drawn to the stacks of books, some not found in any library available to her. Aedan looked over at him with an expression of both interest and new appreciation. Duncan just nodded at the boy. "You might also want to call the youngest Vael, Elissa. You might be busy for the rest of the afternoon."

The girl was too enthralled with the books to pay much attention to Duncan's words, but Aedan caught every word Duncan said.

Duncan closed the door and left them alone. He tapped the Bluetooth in his ear and started counting.

_'Do you see these books, Ade?'_

_Yeah, now give me your phone.'_

_What? Why? Ade, what the hell are you doing?'_

Duncan's Bluetooth went dead before he even reached a count of seven. He smiled for his own benefit. He'd give them their privacy for a bit, thirty minutes should be more than enough time for them to talk about their situation and make some likely very accurate assumptions. He walked to his office, stopping by the desk of secretary to let her know that the Library was occupied and the visitors should not be disturbed under any circumstances.

The message light on his phone blinked at him, but he didn't even have to listen to it to know who it was from. He picked up the handset and pressed the button to connect him directly to the Keep in Val Royaeux.

"Duncan." Blackwall's deep rumble could almost be felt through the phone. "How are your little recruits?"

"Proving to be far more than I expected them to be." Duncan pressed his cheek to the phone, holding it against his shoulder while he logged into his email.

"Off the record?"

Duncan leaned back in his chair, ignoring his mundane task and focusing on the conversation. "Off the record."

"The princess is at it again. I had an agent let me know that she's reaching out to some less than reputable merchants in Antiva and Orlais."

Duncan cursed. He had thought that recruiting Alistair the year before would quiet her attempts, but apparently he was wrong. "Andraste's railing wife."

"Let me know if you want me to do anything here. I also have a few assets in Antiva, but I doubt they are any better than yours."

"Thanks, Blackwall, I owe you."

Blackwall chuckled. "I know, and I'm sure you'll have a litany of names to call me once I call it in."

Duncan hung up the phone stared at the list of unanswered emails – none of them urgent. He picked his phone back up and connected to his secretary. "Recall Warden Alistair, immediately."

He had no patience for the politics of the land and the heads of state. The conniving and conspiring made no sense to him, at least not in the larger scheme of things. Maybe the Wardens had done too good a job of it, after all, out of sight out of mind. Since there had been fewer and fewer sightings of the creepy crawly things that bothered the denizens of Thedas, they had fewer memories to remind them that there were far worse things than bad press or bastards.

Duncan pushed back from his desk and left his office to return to the library. This wasn't part of his plan, but it would work. It would have to. He pushed open the door and stepped into the room. Elissa, as expected, was sitting at one of the tables with piles of books open around her. Aedan was less expected. He was asleep, stretched out between two chairs.

Elissa looked up at him and grinned. She held up a finger to her lips and made the universal sign for quiet.

Duncan just sighed and dragged the chair out from under Aedan's feet. "I was hoping to give you a little bit more time, maybe give you a little more of a sell, but that won't work now." He turned the chair around and sat down with its back to his stomach. He crossed his arms over the back and leaned forward. "Join the Wardens or don't. But if you do, I can promise you a life a bit different than the one planned for you."

Aedan, who hadn't been sleeping if the grace he displayed at being unbalanced could be believed, looked over at Elissa. "You owe me 100 gold, you can pay the bar tab the next time we're out."

Elissa narrowed her eyes at her brother and stuck out her tongue. "It was just as likely that Dad had recruited him to scare some sense into us. In fact it's more likely if you really consider it."

Duncan just looked between the bickering brother and sister. He had just told them that he was recruiting them and they were settling a wager. He decided to interrupt it before it got too far. "It's dangerous. You could die. In fact it's likely that you will die young, but it will never be boring."

"You get two Couslands. What do we get?"

Duncan's eyes widened in surprise at Elissa's question. Not the question itself, but who asked it. That was a question he expected from Aedan. "Independence."

Elissa nodded her head slowly. She looked at Aedan and cocked her head to the side. "I'm in."

Aedan grinned, the only thing that could stop him, that would have stopped him, was Elissa refusing. What little boy didn't want to grow up and be a Warden? He turned to Duncan and nodded his head slowly. "So what's next?"

Duncan looked between the siblings again. They would either be the bane of his existence or the example all future recruits and Wardens were compared to. He had a feeling it was going to be both. "You take a physical, assuming you pass it, we inject you with a vaccine designed to protect you against some of the less pretty things you might come against, we do some training, and then I send you out on ops."

When neither Cousland protested he continued. "Come with me." This was not the response he had expected, but neither was it unexpected when he considered everything.

*******

Aedan tried to push aside the Warden standing outside of Elissa's door, but he wasn't moving,

"The Commander's in there with her. She's fine."

"If she's fine then how come I can go in there?" Aedan briefly wondered if he could distract the Warden to sneak by, but Elissa was always better at that kind of thing. He usually just pushed his way through until whom or whatever he was going against relented.

"She's fine. Trust the Commander." A woman's voice sounded from behind him. "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria. I bet you're hungry."

Aedan turned around and then looked down at the woman behind him. She couldn’t have been more than five feet tall and she was squat, but it was all muscle.

She reached up and wrapped her hand around his elbow. "I'm Natia. You're Aedan right?"

Before he could stop it, she was pulling him down the hallway towards the stairs. "Yeah." He glared over his shoulder at the guard standing in front of Elissa's door, but let the strange woman guide him through the manor.

Natia sat Aedan down at an empty table surrounded by even more empty tables. Duncan had asked her to help Aedan acclimate himself to life at Soldier's Keep, but she hadn't expected him to recover as quickly as he had and instead of finding him in his room, she found him standing outside his sister's room. It would be better to keep him isolated from the other Wardens, he didn't need to overhear any conversations just yet. "You're probably hungry."

Aedan just nodded his head.

"Hamburger sound good? How do you like it? Rare? Well-done?"

"Medium." Aedan eyed the door, calculating his changes for making a clean break back to Elissa's room.

Natia didn't need to be a mind reader to see his plans. "She's fine. You just recovered more quickly than she did and the Commander wants to be there when she wakes up. Now stay put and I'll get you something to eat." 

Natia left him alone at the table, but she kept on checking at him. Aedan didn't have to look at her to know that she looked over her shoulder while talking to the man behind a counter. She came back a few minutes later with two sodas and a basket of fries. She set them on the table in front of him and sat across from him. Without asking his opinion, she smothered the fries in catsup.

Aedan's stomach growled and he realized that he was actually really hungry. He didn't speak with Natia, instead, he dove into the fries. Natia watched him eat. A man as lean as Natia was squat approached their table and dropped the hamburgers down on the table. He didn't say anything, but he glared at Aedan for a moment before turning away from them.

Natia grinned at Aedan. "Don't mind Darrian. He doesn't like anyone, but he's a good cook."

Aedan watched the retreating man's back as he bit into a large hamburger. He sighed happily as the juices dripped down his chin and wiped them away with the back of his hand. "Warden?"

Natia nodded. "Everyone is. The only non-Warden staff are the smiths and that's because they might be more important than we are and not worth the risk." Natia bit into her own hamburger. She grinned up at Aedan with her mouth full. "But I think Darrian and his staff are more important. There is no separating a Warden from their food."

They ate in relative silence but quickly and the baskets of food were empty before Aedan realized it. "How many Wardens are there?"

"In Ferelden? We have about 150 here, but the Peak usually holds fifty of us at any given time. Orlais has over 200, the Free Marches have about 100, and the Aderfels hosts close to 500." Natia was well aware of what she could answer and what Duncan wanted to answer.

*******

Duncan sat in the chair next to Elissa's bed and watched her sleep. That the vaccine hadn't killed her was a relief, but that she was still asleep was unnerving. Avernus had insisted that she was well enough, but he didn't always trust the doctor. Patient care wasn't his strong point, in fact Avernus focused mostly on research and he was good at it. But all of the other doctors were out on assignments and once the Couslands agreed, he didn't want to give them a chance to have second thoughts. Unfortunately Duncan was now having second thoughts.

The guard he had stationed outside opened up the door and held up a tray full of food. Duncan stood up and crossed the floor in a few steps. The rooms were small, big enough for a bed, desk and chair, end table and small dresser, but they also had a small closet and private bathroom. It wasn't very luxurious, but it was comfortable. He took the tray and set it on the desk before returning to the chair. When she did finally wake up she would be starving.

The guard closed the door and Duncan resumed his vigil. He couldn't have been sitting in silence for more than a few minutes when Elissa suddenly sat up in bed and took a gasping breath. Before she could scream Duncan was next to her, holding her tightly against his chest. "Breathe, Warden."

She obeyed his command without argument, taking slow and even breaths until the stiffness left her body. He reached for the glass of juice on the tray and held it to her lips. She wrapped her hands around his and tilted the glass back, drinking all of it.

"You gave us a scare, Warden."

Elissa released the glass and Duncan realized that he was still cradling her against him. He slid her up against the headboard of the bed and sat back in the chair.

"Aedan?"

"He's fine. If Natia wasn't successful, he's pacing the hallway. If she was, he's getting something to eat. Are you hungry?" She nodded her head and Duncan chuckled at her. Of course she was. He took the tray from the desk and placed it on her lap. It was just a bowl of fruit and a sandwich, but at least it would tide her over for a bit. Duncan watched her eat for a moment before filling in the silence. "I spoke with your father, I expect that he'll be here very soon."

She paused between bites and looked directly at Duncan. "He's welcome here?"

"He has a dispensation to visit Soldier's Peak." Duncan wasn't ready to reveal more to her. He would share the information with her soon enough, but it would have to wait until Bryce, Aedan, Elissa, and he were all in the same room together. "Do you want me to call for Aedan?"

Elissa poked at the fruit in the bowl, picking out the sweetest morsels. "No." For the first time, she avoided looking at Duncan.

Duncan raised his eyebrows. "Would you like to be alone?"

Elissa's head snapped up and she shook her head from side to side. "No."

Duncan was surprised. He had expected her to want to get to Aedan as much as Aedan had wanted to get to her He had not expected her to want to spend time with him. He watched her finish the food on the trey while he considered her behavior. When he pulled the empty tray away and replaced it on the desk he nodded to the door in the corner of the room. "Why don't you clean yourself up. There should be soap and shampoo in the shower and linens on the shelf."

She slid off the bed and realized for the first that she wasn't wearing pants or shoes and wondered for a moment who had undressed her. She pushed the thought away as the idea of hot water and being clean invaded her mind.

Once Duncan heard the shower running he picked up the tray and brought it to the guard. He could have left her recovery to any other Warden, in fact he probably should have, but she looked so vulnerable and he couldn't pull himself away. He picked up the phone on the desk and called down to his secretary to send up a change of clean clothes for Elissa. Wardens had dress codes and uniforms and there was always a supply of clothing at the Peak. Almost as soon as he hung up the phone the guard outside knocked and opened the door. A slender blonde woman stood outside holding a spare change of exercise clothing. She waited for Duncan to invite her in before walking into the room.

"She's taking a shower." Duncan nodded to the bathroom.

The blonde nodded her head and slipped into the bathroom. "Elissa? I'm Lyna. Duncan asked me to bring in a change of clothes for you. I'm just going to put them on the toilet for you."

Duncan didn't hear a response, but Lyna walked out of the bathroom and with another nod left the dorm room. He sat back down in the chair and pulled out his phone to check his emails, texts, messages. When the water stopped he glanced up at the door leading to the bathroom for a moment before returning his attentions to daily business.

Eventually the silence jarred him away from his distraction and he looked up to see Elissa standing in the doorway of the bathroom. He barely suppressed a groan. Whoever came up with the idea of yoga pants needed to be both praised and beat to near death. Whoever decided that the Wardens should wear white yoga pants needed to be dragged down to the Deep Roads for an eternity. At least she was wearing a running fleece on top, but that wasn't much better than the pants due to its snug fit. Just above the right breast and just at her right hip bone, embroidered in the royal blue of the Grey Wardens, was the single griffon.

She looked down at her feet and Duncan's gaze followed hers to the white flip flops and the pedicured toenails. Of course Woosley wouldn't know the size of her feet. Elissa's brown hair was pulled back into a tight pony tail and if her body wasn't so definitely defined as being a woman, she could almost be mistaken for a girl. Who was Duncan kidding, she was a girl. She was almost nineteen, and certainly legal in every jurisdiction, but she was still a girl. Duncan unconsciously slid the chair further away from her.

"Your father's helicopter is about to land. Should we find your brother?" It was a neutral enough question.

Elissa shifted her weight from foot to foot for a few seconds before nodding her head. When she didn't move, Duncan stepped around the bed to the door and opened it. He waited for her to exit and almost regretted it as she brushed against him. He closed the door behind him and placed his hand in the small of her back, gently leading her down to the cafeteria to find Aedan.

Aedan knocked the chair back and was across the floor, pulling Elissa into his arms as soon as he saw them standing in the doorway.

"'Lis!"

She quirked her lips up into a smile and the shy girl was quickly replaced with the confident young woman. She extracted herself from his arms and punched his shoulder. "Thought you would be stuck here alone? Or was that just wishful thinking."

Aedan returned her punch. "Shut up."

Duncan felt a small bit of relief as Elissa appeared to recover under her brother's attention. "Your father has arrived. I had him brought to my office." He nodded to Natia, relieving her of the babysitting duty and turned around. He headed to his office, expecting the two newest Wardens to follow him. He wasn't disappointed.

"Is this going to be an attempt to use overwhelming numbers to get our father to be agreeable?" Aedan asked. "Because, 'Lis and I have tried this tactic more times than we can count with very little success."

Elissa looked at her brother like he had sprouted an additional head. "I don't think this is something that can be undone. Not even by dad."

Duncan grinned, but didn't let them see it. "You'll understand soon enough." He stopped in front of Woosley's desk. "He's here?"

His secretary nodded her head and pressed the button to open the door to his office. "I gave him some of your brandy. Not sure how much help it will be though." The last part was spoken under her breath, but Elissa and Duncan both caught it. Duncan steeled himself for the coming assault and Elissa just smirked. Apparently her father's reputation as a hard ass was both expected and believed.

Duncan walked into the office and strode across the room to the patriarch of the Cousland clan. He extended his hand out in front of him and plastered a smile on his face. "Bryce. Good of you to make it."

"Duncan." Bryce stood only because propriety bade him to do so.

They hands touched briefly, but as soon as courtesy had been followed they stepped away from one another. Duncan slid behind his desk and gestured for Bryce to resume sitting. There were additional chairs and Aedan threw himself into the one between his father and Duncan. Elissa remained standing.

"Bryce, you know we only take the best."

"And that is supposed to appease me?" Bryce leaned back in the chair and tapped his hand against the arm it rested upon.

"No." Duncan looked between Aedan and Elissa for a moment before looking at Bryce. "You had to know that I would be interested in them."

"But both of them, Duncan? Elanor is besides herself. She's already half convinced that you've manipulated events, that you had them arrested so you could bail them out and bring them here."

"Bryce, the Couslands and Grey Wardens have always had a unique relationship. You knew that, just as Fergus will know it in time. Just as your grandchildren and great grandchildren will know it."

"But our relationship does not assume that you can take two of my three children."

Aedan stared out the window, apparently bored with the conversation, but Elissa was looking at her father. "What sort of relationship?" When her father remained silent, she turned her gaze to Duncan and crossed her arms over her chest. "What sort of relationship, Duncan?"

Duncan stared at Bryce, but eventually answered her question. "In the past, the Couslands have joined forces with the Grey Wardens, even when they might have overstepped their bounds." He finally looked up at her. "Currently, your father is an asset. He feeds us information that normally would be impossible for us to get."

Elissa stared at the back of her father's head. "You spy on Ferelden for the Wardens." Her eyes narrowed as further realization hit. "You used Aedan and me to get information about other families, didn't you?"

Bryce finally turned his head to look at his daughter. Upon seeing her expression he stood up and walked over to her, as if he could erase the hurt from her face. "Pup, it's not like that."

"Don't pup me. You had mom throw me at Sebastian, didn't you? Who else would you have thrown me at so you could feed Duncan the secrets about others?" She stepped back from him. He was her father. He wasn't supposed to use his own children. "Would you have thrown me at Cailen next? Or maybe Teagan Guerrin?" Her arms dropped and her hands curled into small fists.

"'Lis." Aedan was still looking out the window and his voice was calm, snapping her out of her tirade. Aedan stretched his legs out in front of him and folded his arms behind his head. "Don't give yourself that much credit. You aren't some Mata Hari."

Elissa growled in frustration and threw the door open. She slammed it closed behind her and stormed away.

Once again Aedan broke the silence. "Let her go. She just needs to think about it for a bit for the rational sweet Elissa to come back to us."

Duncan stared at the door. The youngest Cousland had temper on her, one that was unexpected. "I'm sorry, Bryce."

Bryce lifted his shoulders as if shrugging them and returned to his seat. "She's always been a bit of a firecracker."

"Don't you mean spoiled?" Aedan grinned at his father. "She'll get over it and she'll be fine."

Bryce closed his eyes and nodded his head slowly. "I know. I just don't want her to walk away thinking I used her."

"So is mom really pissed?" Aedan went for changing topics to distract his father from the hurt delivered by Elissa.

"She's not happy." Bryce drank the rest of the brandy from his glass and looked at Duncan. "Both of them?"

"They're ideal candidates, Bryce. And I have a feeling that if I recruited one, the other would be pounding at the door begging to be let in too."

Bryce rolled his eyes and studied Duncan. "How many did you get this year?"

"Ten."

Bryce nodded his head slowly and looked over at his son. "I'll smooth it over with your mother. It will take time and you two will have to make nice visits and be on your best behavior."

Aedan returned to looking out the window. "Sure."

Duncan cleared his throat and leaned across the desk. "Bryce, I want Elissa to be covert. I wouldn't normally ask this, but since you probably know more than most recruits you could help us."

Bryce ran his hand over his jaw. "I can see about getting her an internship somewhere."

Duncan nodded. "We have a contact at the Ferelden Library. I was thinking that we could get her placed there as a researcher, but if you can help with that?"

"Maker knows that I've donated enough money to them. They'll give her a desk and a phone without any expectation of showing up if I asked them."

Duncan looked over at Aedan and his feigned disinterest. "You won't be covert, Aedan, but you do need to be discreet if you want to continue to work with your sister."

Aedan turned away from the window. "So basically don't change anything at all?" He snorted back a laugh. "I don't even know what it is I'm supposed to be doing."

"Bryce, I need to talk with Aedan. I am guessing that Elissa is in the library." Duncan waited for the Teyrn to leave before continuing. "You're going to Antiva. Elissa will be going because there's a folio there she needs to look at and you're going to keep her company."

"What will I be doing when she's nose deep in old paper?" Aedan straightened up in the chair and leaned forward in anticipation.

"Listening." Duncan noted the change in demeanor and grinned. "A contact let me know that Anora's been reaching out to the Crows."

"The bastard?" Aedan knew who Alistair was. There wasn't anyone his age who didn't, but Alistair was a Warden and his recruitment was actually very public. He was most definitely not a covert agent.

"The princess has always been insecure with her position in the royal family and it would seem that she's intent on eliminating a man who isn't even a threat to her." Duncan leaned back and smiled at Aedan. "I'll evaluate your training during the next few days and once I feel comfortable enough with your abilities, I'll send you out. You won't be doing any apprehensions. I just want to know who she's reached out to, if anyone, and what their response was."

"Understood." Aedan couldn't help but grin. He would have joined the Ferelden military if his father hadn't pressured him to go to university. No matter what he faced as a Warden it would be better than anything he might have faced in law school.

"Should be go find your father and sister and prevent any future tormenting on her part?" Duncan stood up.

"Sure." Aedan followed behind him, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He frowned for a moment, realizing that Elissa had changed but that he was still in the same clothing. "What happened to Elissa?"

Duncan debated ignoring the question for a moment. "She didn't respond very well to the vaccine."

Aedan hurried up to Duncan's side. "Is there a primer or class we can take. Being a Grey Warden 101 or something?"

"You're read in as you need to know." Duncan stopped outside the library doors and though he could hear raised voices, he didn't hear anything being tossed around or broken, which was promising. "It gives you plausible deniability and keeps things compartmentalized."

*******

Duncan leaned against the wall of the exercise room and watched as Aedan and Elissa sparred against two other Wardens. Sean, the constable of Soldier's Peak and Duncan's second of command, leaned closer to Duncan.

"She's good."

Duncan just nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. Stupid yoga pants. "Get her a set of daggers and make sure that she gets trained with a bow and sniper rifle for range work."

"Two hander for Aedan?"

Duncan nodded his head, but his eyes followed the movements of the brother and sister. They complemented each other without actually getting in the other's way. They moved like they were one person and while it was amazing to watch, it did give Duncan a small bit of concern. "He should be proficient in guns as well, but let's make him even better." Duncan stopped to look at Sean before returning his attention to the sparring. "Put Elissa against Lyna and when Alistair gets back he can train with Aedan."

"You want to separate them?" 

Duncan couldn't tell if Sean was surprised or if he just wanted confirmation. "They won't always be in the field together."

"Very good, Commander."

Duncan left the training room and returned to his office. His constable could continue to supervise their exercise and Duncan had work he needed to return to. Woosley had left a stack of folders on his desk and a pile of calls that needed to be returned. He needed to stop thinking about his newest Wardens and pay attention to the actual administration of the Wardens.

He eyed the crystal bottles that held a variety of liquors and the glasses next to them. Alcohol wouldn't help him focus, but it would help to distract him from the image of a very round and perfect ass displayed by the evil pair of white yoga pants. He gave in to the safe temptation and approached the dry bar. He poured himself a large glass of scotch and returned to his desk.

Sean slipped into his office and grinned at Duncan. "You got yourself some fine new Wardens, Commander." He went over to the alcohol and poured himself a glass of scotch.

"The Grey Wardens got them, not me." Duncan didn't look up from the file in front of him. While the organization was mostly funded through Weisshaupt, each region was responsible for supplementing their income. Through wise investments, suggested by Bryce Cousland, the Ferelden Wardens were doing very well. But their solvency didn't mean that Duncan could just ignore the financials.

"You were right about the daggers." Sean sat down across from Duncan.

Duncan tossed the file aside and picked up the glass of scotch. "I've been doing this for years, you think I don't know what weapons to suggest?"

"Hey, I'm not here to question your years of experience or discuss the accumulation of wisdom you've achieved in your decrepit old age." Sean grinned at his mentor and took a sip of scotch. "I just wanted to let you know that you were right."

"Their father made sure they were trained. It was only natural that Bryce would pick daggers for his daughter."

Sean laughed. "Easily hidden and deadly instead of just dangerous. And you cheated."

"I didn't cheat, I just used my considerable intelligence to come to an accurate deduction." Duncan looked down at his glass.

"She's pretty too, Commander."

He looked up and debated the benefit of denying his awareness of her attractive nature. "She is." Duncan looked up at Sean and ran the back of his hand over his beard covered jaw. "She's also very young."

Sean winked, "even better."

Duncan tamped down his irrational feelings of protectiveness towards Elissa and anger towards Sean. "Let the girl settle in before you go after her, Constable."

"You mean give you a head's start?" Sean was poking at Duncan, enjoying the opportunity to tease his mentor.

"She's the daughter of a friend and hasn't even turned nineteen yet. She's newly joined. She had a negative reaction to her vaccine. I'm her commander. And she's eighteen years old."

Sean wasn't sure what he expected to hear from Duncan, but a rational reason why not to pursue Elissa Cousland wasn't on the top of the list. He stretched out in his chair and studied Duncan. "She's also potentially one of the strongest Wardens we've seen in a very long time. She could chew up and spit out anyone else. Elissa's special, Duncan." 

Duncan finished his glass of scotch, enjoying the burn as the alcohol made its way down his throat. He hoped that the alcohol was the source of the flush in his cheeks, but he knew better. He took a deep breath. Sean wasn't wrong, she _was_ special. 

Duncan grabbed his phone and stood up. "I'm going up to my room."

"Is that an invitation?" Sean smiled at him.

"No." Duncan left his office, lost in thoughts he wasn't willing to share with Sean, or anyone else, just yet.

The manor was four stories with dorms on floors two through four. Duncan, as Commander, was afforded the largest room, or rooms. His suite reflected the wealth of the Ferelden Wardens and his simple tastes. Hand woven antique rugs covered the hardwood floors and leather furniture, old and comfortable, covered the rugs. Next to the sitting room was his bedroom where a massive four poster bed, hand carved, sat in the middle of the room. But the best part of his suite, at least from Duncan's point of view, was the bathroom. A large soaking tub occupied one corner of the bathroom and a magnificent shower stood next to the bath. A massive showerhead hung from the ceiling, simulating a rain shower and jets pushed water out from the sides as well as there being a traditional showerhead.

He stepped into his suite and picked up the remote control that controlled his stereo. Traditional Ferelden music came out of the speakers in every room. Duncan ignored the dinner that Darrian had sent up and went directly to his shower. He turned on all the showerheads and adjusted the temperature until it was just shy of scalding. He stripped out of his clothing and stepped into the glass enclosed box. Duncan stood under the water for several minutes before washing. Feeling slightly more relaxed than he did before he got into the shower, Duncan turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry off. He pulled on a pair of pajama pants and walked out into the living room.

He picked up his phone and scrolled through his messages while sitting down to his dinner. He was halfway through a steak sandwich and responding to the First Warden when he was interrupted by a knock on his door. Duncan left his dinner, but took his phone and walked to the door. He was still typing his response when he opened the door.

Elissa was standing there.

"Can I come in?" She was still wearing the damnable yoga pants, but had at least pulled on an over-sized sweatshirt.

Duncan stepped back so she could step into the room. He pointed to the small table with his dinner. "Hungry?"

She shook her head. "I already ate."

He closed the door and reached for the remote to turn the volume down. "Sit down."

Elissa walked over to the couch and sat down. She slid her flip flops off and tucked her legs underneath her. Duncan put his phone down and almost sat down next to her on the couch, but thought better of it – especially after his conversation with Sean – and sat down in one of the chairs.

"I wanted to apologize." She folded the bottom of the sweatshirt around her finger.

Duncan realized he was only wearing a pair of pajama pants, but it would have been too awkward to walk into his bedroom to add more clothing. "Why do you need to apologize, Warden?"

She looked up at him and gave him a small smile. "I sort of over reacted to the news about my father."

"Don't worry about it, your brother compensated with his under-reaction." He leaned back in the chair.

"Why do you call me Warden?" She was back to looking down at her lap.

"Because that's what you are."

"But you call the other Wardens by their names."

There was something in the timber of her voice, a timidity that wrapped itself around his heart and tugged at it. Without thinking much about the ramifications, Duncan moved to sit next to her and pulled her against him. "I call you Warden, because you epitomize what a Warden is."

She tilted her head back and looked up at him. "Really?"

"Really, Warden."

He picked at her sweatshirt. "Your father brought clothes I thought?" What he really wanted to ask was why she still had on those damnable yoga pants.

"My mother supervised the packing. Aedan got jeans, I got dresses."

"Give Woosley your sizes and I'll have her order some more appropriate clothing for you." Elanor was not going to let the jewel of the Cousland family fall out of notice, even if she was no longer a playable piece on the chess board. The least he could do was make her more comfortable.

"Duncan? What happened to me with the vaccine? Aedan told me that my reaction was bad, but didn't know why or what it meant."

"We aren't certain of the why, but Avernus thinks that your body fought the effects of the vaccine." It was just a theory and Avernus promised to send Duncan more research as he found it, but it appeared that Elissa had some kind of resistance.

"Is that bad?" The insecurity in her voice filled him with a desire to erase it, but he had to be satisfied with merely squeezing her shoulder.

"Not bad, Warden. But, we aren't sure what other effects might be."

She looked up at him, lifting her eyebrows high over her eyes in a look that mimicked one of shock or surprise. "Such as?"

Duncan realized it wasn't surprise, it was curiosity and cursed himself for telling her more before she came to him with questions. "We don't know. Like I said, we haven't seen any kind of resistance before you." His phone informed him of another message with a beep and out of habit, he picked it up. "Speak of the devil."

Elissa looked over to read the screen, ignoring her mother's voice reminding her that it was rude to read over another's shoulder. "Nightmares? Sterility? What in Andraste's name aren't you telling me, Duncan?"

"I'll answer the first, but the others will have to wait." Duncan was still reading the email. "You'll sleep here tonight, Warden."

She pulled away from his arm and slid back into the corner of the couch. She didn't have to say anything, the questions were easy enough for Duncan to read from her expressions.

Duncan took a breath. "Almost every Warden reports an increase of odd dreams that pertain to our original charter."

Elissa narrowed her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "Darkspawn?" She drew the word out well past its two syllables.

Of course she would know about the Warden's original charter and for once he was grateful to not have to explain the taint and the history of the blights that included creatures that hadn't been seen in centuries and most everyone assumed to be extinct. "Avernus wants to observe your dreams tonight, to see if there is any significant difference."

Elissa took the silent approach, expecting the compulsion to fill in the void with words to push Duncan into responding.

"So you can either sleep in the clinic or you can sleep here since I'm not about ready to spend the night in your room."

That wasn't what she had wanted to hear. "Fine." She took a breath and rubbed her fingers over her eye.

Duncan put his phone down and smiled at her. "I am going to finish my dinner and you are going to get ready for bed." He nodded towards the door that led to his bedroom. "You can sleep in the bed, Warden."

Elissa stood up and followed his orders, but she stopped at the door and looked over her shoulder at Duncan. "You know, I've had much more romantic invitations to spend the night."

Duncan chuckled and returned to the table and his forgotten sandwich. "This isn't romance, Warden. This is science."

He was back to reading emails and happily chewing on his dinner when her shout startled him from his thoughts.

"Holy Maker! I'm taking a shower, Duncan, this thing is amazing."

He didn't think she was asking for permission and his thought was confirmed as soon as he heard the sound of running water over the subdued volume of the music. When the water was finally turned off and he could no longer see lights on in the bedroom, he grabbed his phone and went in to watch over Elissa while she slept. He pulled one of the more comfortable arm chairs next to the bed and settled in for the night. He replaced his phone with a book and turned on a reading light. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. Asleep in his bed was a very young Warden wrapped only in a towel that had already loosened enough to expose most to the tops of her breasts. Duncan looked down at the book, adding towels just below yoga pants on his list of despised apparel.

*******

Avernus, Sean, and Duncan sat around the small conference table in Duncan's office. Each man was reading through the same reports sent by Aedan. Elissa's dreams that weren't quite nightmares, but unnerving enough to prevent any kind of restful sleep hadn't stopped. If anything they had gotten worse. Duncan had witnessed the dreams when she had slept in his bed her first night as a Warden. She didn't scream and she didn't thrash about, she just sat straight up in bed, stared at nothing in front of her, and seemed to stop breathing.

As disturbing as it was for Elissa, it was even more so for whomever was with her. She couldn't describe the dream, just the feelings of dread and not wanting to be asleep. Avernus hadn't come up with an acceptable explanation yet and had started to reach out to the Warden scientists. He had even requested texts from Weisshaupt.

Aedan reported that Elissa's physical and mental state were both impaired by her lack of sleep. She was no longer an asset in the field and had turned into a liability. Duncan finally looked up and split his gaze between Avernus and Sean.

"Recall them. They got the information we sent them for and keeping her in the field in her current state won't do anyone any good."

Sean didn't need to be told twice, he was already making calls. Within an hour, two plane tickets would be waiting for them at their hotel accompanied by an urgent message from home about the failing health of a close family friend.

Avernus looked at Duncan and took off his glasses, cleaning them with his shirt before replacing them. "I assume you don't want her in the clinic?"

Duncan shook his head from side to side. "No. She can stay in my room and I'll observe her."

The scientist nodded his head in understanding. "Alright, I'll have some monitoring equipment sent up. I want to measure her heart rate while she sleeps, you just need to mark the times that she wakes up."

The three men continued to make plans for Elissa's return and were still working when the car sent to pick them up from the airport in Aramanthine turned onto the old road leading up to Soldier's Peak.

**Author's Note:**

> Also, just to explain the titles... I was complaining about coming up with a titles and [Lee Atwater](http://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeAtwater/pseuds/LeeAtwater) told me to randomize my iTunes library and go from there. It landed on Bastille's album _All This Bad Blood_ and let's face it, there isn't any more perfect title than that. So I decided to name the whole thing (assuming there will be more) _All This Bad Blood_ and each chapter or story will be named after a song on the album. Hence the title Pompeii. There is no other meaning behind it that being slightly amusing for me.
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, let me know! I love reading and responding to comments of all kinds.


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